Saturday, February 16, 2008

"Unforgettable" Memories

The lit tree and park bench let the banquet attendees know which entrance to use.

As the handsome young doormen held the doors open for them, they were brought into an outdoor park setting filled with lit trees, park benches, ice pond and street lights. A duet of violin and flute from two of our youth filled the foyer with beautiful music. After checking their coats they went to the “studio” to have their picture taken and by the end of the evening most had a 5 x 7 photo to take home as a memory.

Once in the main room, the sounds of Zach Vinson on the grand piano filled the room with soft, beautiful music. The evening was a formal theme of Black & White. The tables were simply, but elegantly set around that theme.

There were several different kinds of hors’douvrs to taste along with sparkling grape juice. Once seated, everyone enjoyed a lettuce salad with candied pecans, gorgonzola,craisens and raspberry vinaigrette served with style by the youth. The main meal was white garlic lasagna along with fresh green beans and rolls with herb butter. The desserts – oh, the desserts – were two types of cheesecakes. One was New York style with strawberries and a chocolate heart on it, while the other was a turtle cheesecake, all this under the direction of Nikki MacDonald.

The program, which the youth have been working on since October, consisted of classic love songs and short humorous skits about marriage. They did such an awesome job! We were so proud of them. As Lyn and I watched from the front, we were excited for them as they “nailed” each part. They sang: Love is Here to Stay, L-O-V-E, The Way You Look Tonight, Unforgettable (of course), For Once in My Life and Through the Years. But more important than doing well, was the goal of the evening. It was an outreach event, giving people a reason to invite friends and neighbors to a romantic evening and provide an open door to share about Christ. They heard about God’s desire for their marriages from a short devotional from Pastor Jon. Couples that don’t know God, heard of His perfect love for them. It gave some an opportunity to later share the gospel of salvation with friends that they had brought. That is what the evening was about.

I love working with these teens. They are a joy to work with and serve with. Even though the snow day threw us off schedule wise, the kids readjusted their time and came to help set up and practice. I never once them complain, rather I’d heard. “What else do you need done?”

As always, Lyn, Nikki and I decide on the theme for next year before we left Saturday night. We are already planning for that.